“We will be brave, we will believe in ourselves and we will risk defeat,” Hodgson told TalkSport.

“We won't try and sneak our way through the games because I think with the type of players we have that wouldn’t suit us.”

England’s last competitive meeting with Italy was the Euro 2012 quarter-final, when the Azzurri dominated, but were only able to win on penalties against a very defensive Three Lions.

“We have to allow our players to express themselves in the same way they do in the top Premier League teams, and I don't think you will see England sit back against Italy,” continued Hodgson.

“I hope that we will have a team on the field that is good enough to ask enough questions of the Italians. We don’t feel we need to concentrate all our efforts on containing them – we want to ask a lot of questions of them.”

England have never beaten Italy in a tournament situation, suffering two defeats and a third on penalties after it ended 0-0.